An early morning bonding experience at Mayfair

Before dawn at Mayfair Mall Friday, it was lights, cameras and shopping.

The crowds had already been out for several hours when the television news crews began to show up for their morning stand ups.

Around 70 stores opened at midnight this year, up from 35 in 2011. A second wave of shoppers came to the mall at 5 a.m.

A lot of moms were out with their teen-aged daughters, ferrying them from store to store.

"It's a bonding experience," said a bleary-eyed mother, who was sitting on a bench outside of the Sephora store, waiting for her daughter and a friend to purchase cosmetics.

Mohammed Sabul, who manages the Doztoy booth, said crowd were larger last year.

"It died after 3 a.m.," Sabul said, munching a breakfast doughnut. "Last year, a second wave of people came in at 5 a.m. You don't see that this year."

Still, lots of stores were apparently doing big business. At the Hollister Co., shoppers were greeted by two guys wearing flip flops and red bathing suits. Plenty of women posed for pictures with the two young men.

About Bill Glauber

Bill Glauber is a general assignment reporter, focusing on profiles and politics.